For digital transmission with bit rates not available on standards like E1/E2/E3 and T1/T2/T3 a flexible bandwidth can be provided with inverse multiplexing. The aggregate bitstream is split in a cyclic manner into several transmission links (E1/T1) and recombined in the remote end. In cable transmission systems the transmission range will be dependent on line bit rate, as seen with SHDSL, hence an increased transmission range will be possible by inverse multiplexing over multiple lines with lower bit rates. The increased range will reduce the complexity between two inverse multiplexers within the network because of the reduced number of repeaters necessary, further, less complexity/components means less service and maintenance, and hence an increased reliability.